Audience of One
by clandestine composer
Summary: A doctor whose hiding who she truly is finds herself needing some help.


"I will not go. I will not go. I WILL NOT GO!" Mrs Anderson repeated and the yelling continued. Mrs Anderson, a fifty-two year old woman, was resisting her admittance to the hospital psychiatric unit. She was currently clutching her legs whilst sitting in the corner of my office and rocking back and forth, alternating between whispering and yelling those four words.

"Mrs. Anderson," I tried to address her calmly.

"NO! No I don't want to go, don't make me go." She looked up momentarily, her gaze piercing the solid walls of my heart, and she whispered, "Please don't make me go." I stood abruptly, effectively breaking our eye contact, because she didn't move her gaze. It was like she was trying to now bore holes into my legs with her gaze. I walked over to the telephone on my desk, dialled the psych extension and asked for two orderlies to collect their newest patient.

Ten minutes later Mrs Anderson was being escorted to her new room, whilst I wrote the chart stating that she would need to be detained for at least a week and that medication should start immediately. The reason she was being admitted was because she couldn't admit that she had a case of OCD that was extremely unhealthy. The anxiety of losing her husband a year ago triggered the psychosomatic response. She kept packing his lunch daily; she'd go to Bingo and tell all the girls that he'd be home in a little while. After a while her friends got worried and they suggested that she go see a therapist. The therapist couldn't handle her and she sent her to me. After an hour of talking with her she broke and ended up in the corner of my office.

_I need a drink_, I thought to myself as I quickly read over my report, decided it was enough and exited my office. I passed many nurses and doctors on my way to the nurses' station, they all smiled at me and I sent a courteous smile back. _You're all a bunch of fake snobs_, I thought, but I kept smiling. _I'm probably the fakest of them all, hair dyed till kingdom come, makeup masking my pale complexion. _I imagined myself in front of a mirror wearing a long velvet dress from yonder days, asking the mirror; "mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fakest of them all?" and the response I would be issued would be, "You are my dear ladyship, yes you are, yes, you're the fakest." I shook my head ridding it of the weird world where I was being treated like a dog by a mirror.

I reached the nursing station, put the chart down and started to walk away when a voice called out. "Hey Haruno! Haruno, wait up," I slowed so that the body of the voice would catch up. It was Ino Yamanaka, an old friend from high school, not necessarily friends but enemies, but what the heck? Who cares about labels anyway?

"So a couple of us are going to get a drink later, want to tag along?" she asked in that bittersweet singsong voice.

I kept walking and threw a "sorry I'm busy" over my shoulder. I stepped into my office locked the door and headed to my desk where a small bottle of whiskey was sitting in my bottom drawer, under a stack of papers. I undid the top took a swig and put it back. I then fished out a bottle of pills, Diazepam, the bottle proclaimed. I shook three into my hand and swallowed them dry, gagging slightly when they reached the back of my throat.

I grabbed the whiskey and took a small swig cringing at the burning taste. I shook my head, clearing it of all the non essential things that were swimming around inside. Again my imagination dreamt of a strange world where there was a dragon swooping the people in a lake. I shook my head again, quickly straightened everything on my desk and left. I walked to my car with my head down because I knew the Diazepam would kick in soon enough and any doctor who looked at me would see something wrong. So I increased my gait and didn't meet anyone on my way down.

..

"Move you stupid idiot!" I yelled at the car infront of me, nearly blowing my ear drums. _Shit maybe I shouldn't be shouting like this... Well not with the windows close anyway._ "Hey loser move!" I kept yelling. I started honking the horn rather obnoxiously trying to make the guy move. The traffic finally started to move again at a snail's pace, but still it was moving I reasoned. The sign caught my attention and a sigh of relief escaped my lips.

The sign proclaimed; _SUNA PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTE 12km, EXIT AT NEXT OFF-RAMP_

_Okay Sakura only twelve more kilometres. Only twelve more._ I kept repeating to myself until I alighted at the off ramp.

"Screw this shit!" I hissed when I saw that there was a car wrapped around a telephone pole. _Just my fucking luck._

After almost thirty minutes the worst of the wreck was cleared and the road was open again. At the light I took a left and then continued till I saw another sign, smaller this time, proclaiming that the institute was left in 500m.

I turned when directed and stopped in front of a towering metal gate. A guard came out from the small building off to my right and came to stand at my window with a clipboard and pen.

"Sakura Haruno," I said to him and he quickly found my name on the page.

"I'll buzz you in doctor," he said smilingly.

"Tony you know I don't work here, so it's just Sakura."

"You're not just Sakura, doctor," he added on cheekily, and hurried back to the gate house.

A loud buzz sounded and the gate slowly swung open revealing a very long drive up to the looming building.

I parked in a visitor parking closest to the entrance, seeing as there was no other visitors here this early in the morning.

Visiting times only start in the afternoon.

I got out of the car and made my way to the entrance, and he feeling of being watched crept up my spine. I quickly turned around and rushed to my car. I fumbled through the glove box and found an orange pill bottle. Amprazolam, the label told me I had gotten the right one. I took two and calmed my breathing right down.

I got back up and with a new confidence in my step I walked p to the front door and said my name again. The guard buzzed me through and after about three gates and door, I found myself at a reception desk.

"Hi, I'm Sakura Haruno." I said politely, the receptionist stared at me blankly and I continued, "I'm here to see Naruto Uzumaki."


End file.
